It's Spring!

Happy Easter!  I love this time of year.  Suddenly everything is coming alive, the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing.  It kind of makes me want to sing along.  :) 

I also love decorating for spring (fresh flowers anyone?).  Here are a few Springtime/Easter-y ideas from my Pinterest board.  Be sure to check it out for more!

I remember making these as a kid!  Such fun... now I can't wait to make them again. 

And if we're being honest here, I also really love spring cleaning.  It feels so good when it's all done!  Check out my board on Organization and Cleaning Tips & Tricks for all kinds of cleaning and organizing ideas to help you get started.    

Made from Scratch Mixes: Pancake Mix

If you're just joining me here, check out Part 1 of the Made from Scratch Mixes series and learn how to make a mix from your favorite recipes!  

Pancakes are probably one of my favorite breakfast foods.  I love having my favorite "from scratch" recipe as easily accessible as a mix.  It seriously makes those mornings so easy (let's be honest here - they seem to show up for dinner about as often!)  This makes big, fluffy pancakes.  If you prefer yours thin and crispy, just add more milk.



Homemade Pancake Mix

• 15 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 cup baking powder 
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup salt

Combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Be careful to whisk everything together very well.  Transfer to your storage device of choice (glass jar, plastic container, zip-top bag, etc.)

To Prepare Pancakes

• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 3 cup Pancake Mix

Whisk together milk, eggs, and oil.  Stir in the Pancake Mix until just combined - it's ok if the batter is lumpy - you don't want to over mix.


Pancake Recipe (if you just want to make a single batch)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, making a well in the center.  In a separate bowl, stir together milk, eggs and oil.

Pour milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together.  Stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix.  It's ok if it's lumpy.

Butter a frying pan or skillet that has been heated to about 300 degrees F.  Spoon pancake batter onto pan and spread into 5 inch circles.

Cook until bottom is golden brown and bubbles appear on top of pancakes.  Flip and cook for another couple minutes, until both sides are golden brown.

Made from Scratch Mixes: Corn Bread

If you're just joining me here, check out Part 1 of the Made from Scratch Mixes series and learn how to make a mix from your favorite recipes!

So, remember how I said I started working on this back when I was pregnant?  Well, as I was testing this recipe, the the cracks on top somehow formed into a perfect jack-o-lantern face!  Quite perfect for October.  :)  Ok, so we're getting into spring, but corn bread is good anytime.  :)

Homemade Corn Bread Mix

• 6 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 8 Tbsp baking powder
• 4 1/2  tsp salt

Combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Be careful to whisk everything together very well.  Transfer to your storage device of choice (glass jar, plastic container, zip-top bag, etc.)

To Prepare Corn Bread

• 2 1/2 cups Corn Bread Mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cooking oil

Combine ingredients, turn into a greased 9-inch pan and bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes.

**a half batch (1 egg) would cook up nicely in an 8x4" loaf pan*



Corn Bread (for those of you only wanting a single batch)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cooking oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F, and grease a 9 inch glass baking pan.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt

Add eggs, milk, and oil.  Mix just until smooth.  (Do not over mix.)

Turn into a baking pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  Makes 8 or 9 servings.

How to create your own Mix

Introducing...

Disclaimer: this post requires a bit more reading than usual.  This post teaches you how to make your own mix from your favorite recipe.  I will be posting subsequent pages with recipes for some of my favorite mixes.

I started this back when I was pregnant.  The idea was that after having a baby, I would be busy taking care of him and standing over a hot stove just wouldn't be an option.  So I spent some time coming up with ways to make my life easier once I reached that point.  This meant making and freezing meals to cook or reheat later and.... mixes (gasp)!!  [Note - I didn't know at the time that I'd be dramatically changing my diet after L was born, so all of this great prep work had to be set aside/used by everyone but me...]


I know - some people really like those store-bought mixes for things like cakes or cookies, pancakes or biscuits (and just about anything else you can imagine).  I love the idea behind them - the quick convenience of throwing only a few ingredients in a bowl and coming up with a finished product that would have normally taken a lot longer.  However, I have a hard time buying a convenience item with all kinds of ingredients that I can't pronounce, when I know that I can make it from scratch and that mine will have good, natural ingredients and taste a whole lot better!

So, in order to make my life easier, I started going through my recipes to see how many of them I can turn into mixes.  Making your own is not difficult at all, and it allows you to customize your mix to recipes that you know and love.  When I make my Mixes, they are essentially just the dry ingredients for a specific recipe, in bulk.  I never add powdered milk or eggs for a "just add water" kind of mix.  I find that adding the natural, fresh ingredients just tastes so much better, and cracking an egg really isn't that difficult!

All it takes is a few steps at the beginning, and you'll always have something quick and easy on hand.  A pancake mix definitely makes mornings easier, but if there's a specific cookie or cake recipe that you make often (or would like to) it would be a perfect candidate for a Mix as well.


How to create your own Mix

Step 1: Mix together all the dry ingredients for your original recipe that you're wanting to make into a Mix.

Step 2: Measure how much "powder" you have.  If you plan on using a special scoop for your Mix, you need to know how many of these you'll need.  Otherwise, you need to know how many cups the combined dry ingredients makes.  (Alternately, you could weigh it.)

Step 3:  Double, quadruple, or multiply the recipe by whatever number you need to fill the container you've chosen to store the Mix in.

Step 4:  Label your Mix.  Be sure to write down the "recipe" - how many cups of the Mix (dry ingredients) to mix with the wet ingredients and how to cook it.


A few tips:

Be sure to write down the multiplied measurements as you go.  This saves you the trouble of figuring out all the measurements the next time you need to replenish your Mix, especially when you're trying to fit it all into one container.  

When writing out the "recipe" for the Mixes, I break it down to one egg ratios.  Basically, however many cups of the Mix I need per egg (when the recipe calls for eggs) and the proper amounts of any other wet ingredients.

If including a fat in the Mix (such as the Crisco in the Pie Crust Dough or Biscuits), it is best to keep the mix in the freezer or refrigerator.  The Mix will last a lot longer this way.  Otherwise, fats go rancid quickly, and that's never good.  If stored properly in the freezer, my Pie Crust Dough Mix will last anywhere from 3 to 6 months!

Stay tuned for Made from Scratch Mixes, Part 2: The Recipes!

Brussels Sprouts: Who Knew? Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

Growing up, I was not a picky eater.  All those veggies that kids were supposed to hate were my favorites.  So where do Brussels sprouts fit in?  I don't really know.  I remember going to the grocery store when I was little and seeing the most adorable little baby cabbages and really wanting to get them.  We took them home and I vaguely remember eating them.  I don't remember how they tasted or if we ever ate them again afterward.  Now, either it was such a traumatic experience that I completely blocked it from my memory, or we just never ate Brussels sprouts.

Fast forward about 20 years.  Just after I had Liam, a family friend brought over a dinner that included the most delicious roasted veggies.  There were beets, and potatoes, and... Brussels sprouts!  If you remember my *mild* obsession with beets while I was pregnant, you can imagine how excited I was. The sprouts were surprisingly wonderful and we decided that we definitely needed to eat them more frequently.

After we bought a huge bag, I started looking for ways to cook Brussels sprouts.  Heidi's recipe at 101 Cookbooks grabbed my attention - it was fast, easy, and only required a few ingredients, but looked so delicious!  We tried it and were hooked immediately.  I know we ought to try other recipes, but that would mean not eating this one and I'm not sure I'm ready for that!  :)

 Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts

(adapted from 101 Cookbooks)
The original recipe calls for 1/4 c grated cheese of your choice (Parmesan or smoked Gouda were suggested).  this sounds yummy, but I'm currently eating dairy-free, so I omitted the cheese.  It's so good without it, I'm not sure if I'll add it back in later.  

The recipe also says that it serves 4.  I'm not sure I believe that: we doubled it for 6 people and didn't have enough.  Either way, it's a good starting point.  The "measurements" are really just a general guideline anyway.  It's super easy to do a little more or less depending on what you have.  

• 24 small Brussels sprouts (the more uniform in size, the better)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to coat
• Kosher salt

Wash the Brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends, remove any ugly or ragged outer leaves, and cut in half from stem to top.  Place in a large mixing bowl and gentle stir in a couple Tablespoons of olive oil (just enough to coat the sprouts).  Try to keep them intact.  (I find mixing them with my very clean hands to be easiest here.)

In your largest skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  The key here is to keep the heat relatively low.  Too much and the outsides of the sprouts will cook long before the insides.  Place the Brussels sprouts in the pan in a single layer, flat sides down.  Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, or two, and cover.  Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts are tender throughout.  (It's helpful to have a
couple extras to taste-test for done-ness. :) )

When just tender, uncover, crank up the heat, and cook until the bottoms are nicely brown and caramelized.  Toss a few times to brown the other sides.  Serve immediately.  (You can add another pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper, or the grated cheese here.)  But seriously, serve these babies up hot, fresh out of the pan, and get ready for bliss.